


Coffee and Chamomile

by Broken_Clover



Category: BlazBlue
Genre: Because Arcsys is full of sadists, F/M, Fluff without Plot, I apologize because nothing, Morning Cuddles, Not Canon Compliant, this is literally just fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-25
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-17 15:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16098689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover
Summary: 'Normal' was a foreign concept for Litchi, but one that came back far easier than she'd ever expected.





	Coffee and Chamomile

**Author's Note:**

> A gift for Melon-choly on tumblr, who's a big Roylitchi fan and a really cool dude! I hope you enjoy my silly little fic!

For someone as small as Roy was, he tended to give off a lot of body heat. On one hand, it was a wonderful thing, making winter snuggling cozy and pleasant. That allurance had its drawbacks, though, especially when it meant abandoning it in the morning for the sake of getting up.

“Good morning, Roy.” For a quick moment, Litchi curled back up against him, planting a drowsy kiss on his nose. She knew that the morning routine was beckoning, but she already missed the warm cocoon of smells and warmth and comfy blankets.

“Hnn…” A soft little noise was muffled under the covers. Roy huddled back under the protective barrier of warmth as Litchi’s movements made them slide down. “Ten more minutes…”

“Come on, Roy, it’s time to get up. Clinic opens soon.”

“...Five more?”

Rolling her eyes and sighing with a smile, Litchi reached down to ruffle his hair. “If you insist. But if I have to come back and get you…”

Roy cracked a smile. “What will you do, Litchi?”

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “So no more than five, alright?”

“Mhm. Whatever you say, honey…”

Finally feeling awake enough to forsake the comfy bed, Litchi stood up and stretched in the morning sunlight. The room was definitely colder than it was under the covers, but she took note of the slowly-growing snowbanks outside the bedroom window, and realized that it could have been worse.

Still, she grabbed her slippers and a shrug on the way down to the kitchen. A little breakfast would definitely help her wake up and get energized for the day ahead. Digging through the fridge yielded a container of leftover porridge, which she dumped into a pot and put on the stove. Hot porridge was always the best on cold mornings.

She began going over the daily checklist in her head. It wasn’t the busiest day, but walk-ins almost always assured that she’d have more work than she expected. That especially rang true during winter, when ice made the ground slick and cabin fever made colds run rampant. After that, she’d been hoping to sort through her old lab equipment, dusting things off and getting rid of what she didn’t need. 

Litchi tended to keep busy, but it wasn’t a habit she minded. She was merely the type who preferred keeping herself working. And it wasn’t as though it was all on her shoulders- in fact, ever since Roy’s return, things had eased up with the extra set of hands. Honestly, with how competitive he and Linhua could get sometimes, they could manage to do most of her work just by accident.

She laughed at the thought, reaching for a spoon to stir the porridge. Even with all that had happened, Roy still maintained a lot of habits that she remembered. Tendencies to get wrapped up in his work, forget where he left things, begging for a few more minutes before getting up in the morning...in some ways, it almost felt like he’d never been gone.

Roy seemed to be more than happy to leave everything behind him. Even if the Division hadn’t long cut him loose, he sounded content with part-timing at the clinic. He wasn’t quite as good as Litchi was, or even Linhua, but the assistant was helping him polish up his rusty knowledge and relearn. Even without that, he’d gladly pick up a broom and duster in order to keep the clinic running smoothly, if he wasn’t quite ready to treat a lot of patients yet. It was almost like his new project, the one he’d taken on to replace his prior passion.

To put it simply, Roy had given up on the Boundary. He would answer questions if asked, even occasionally traveling to meet with Kokonoe and Tager upon request for interrogation and consultation. Aside from that, he had lost all interest. Considering what had happened and the hell that he had been put through, Litchi didn’t blame him one bit.

In her distraction, a bit of porridge bubbled out of the pot. It drooled down the side, managing to grab Litchi’s attention when it dripped off into the stove’s coil, hissing as it landed in the fire. The white porridge began blackening in the heat, twisting and writhing as if in pain, the last bits of white almost staring up at her blankly as it was consumed…

She squeezed her eyes shut, and turned the heat down.

Litchi liked to think that’d she’d moved past everything, that they both had. That would be a naive and childish prospect, especially for her. She had long since recognized the squirms and tense breaths marking another one of Roy’s nightmares, usually requiring a good ten minutes of gentle stroking and comforting words to pull himself out of the memory.

She herself wasn’t immune to such things, either, though her nightmares tended to appear during the day. Second glances at sloping shadows, feeling her heart start to race in panic when the stench of trash managed to touch her nose. Of course she knew that it was all over, but the marks it left behind still stayed.

Soft footfalls made the floorboards creak ever-so-slightly behind her. Litchi felt her breath catch, but released it when she heard a soft yawn.

“I’m impressed. I don’t think that was more than five minutes!”

Litchi felt a pair of hands twining around her waist. She let Roy huddle up against her, resting his chin on her shoulder.

“G’morning, Litchi.”

She gave a quiet little chuckle, leaning back to kiss him on the cheek. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

“Porridge?”

“Yep. A good way to get yourself awake, especially in this weather!”

“I’ll take your word for it. I dunno if it can be any better than coffee, though.” Roy nuzzled against her long, dark hair before letting go. “On that note, I’m gonna heat up the pot. Want any?”

“No, no. I’m just going to make some chamomile. You go on ahead.” Litchi pulled the porridge off of the stove and replaced it with the teakettle.

A quiet but firm knock sounded against the door. The two looked towards it, then towards one another.

“Were you expecting anyone, Litchi?”

“No...so I assume you weren’t either?”

“I wasn’t.” Roy abandoned the coffeepot to go check the door. “Um, hello?”

“Good morning, sir!”

“Linhua?” Litchi turned towards the voice. Sure enough, her young apprentice was standing outside, wearing her usual attire.

“Linhua! Get inside, it’s still snowing!” Roy ushered her inside, slamming the door immediately and grabbing one of his coats from the door rack to toss over her. “How are you not freezing?”

“Heh, well, maybe a little. I guess I was just in a rush to get here early!”

Litchi sighed, shaking her head. “I told you that you didn’t have to push yourself! I don’t want you getting hurt or sick, especially this time of year.” She gestured to the table as Linhua and Roy came into the kitchen. “Feel free to take a seat, I can find a blanket if you’re cold.”

“I’m just fine, ma’am!” Linhua kept her bright smile.

“If you’re sure...have you eaten breakfast? Roy and I were just about to start.”

“Breakfast?” The girl suddenly perked up under Roy’s coat. “Ohhh! I love your porridge! Is it okay if I have some?”

“Of course.” Litchi nodded. “There should be plenty for all three of us.”

Roy went back to the coffeemaker. “Linhua, do you want any coffee?”

“No thank you- oh, hello, Lao Jiu!”

When she turned to look, Litchi found the tiny panda lying on the tabletop, still dozing away as Linhua offered gentle scratches.

“Must have slipped off when I wasn’t looking…”

Fortunately, no more major surprises managed to crop up while she finished with the tea. Roy grabbed a mug of coffee and a few bowls, while Litchi took the teapot and porridge.

“Thanks, Miss Litchi! I’m, ah, sorry for showing up so early.” Linhua looked a little sheepish as she spooned a bowl of porridge. “I guess I just got a little too excited. I promise I’ll bring a coat next time.”

The doctor smiled. “It’s alright, Linhua. You’re still learning. These things happen. As long as you’re safe.”

Linhua immediately made herself busy by chatting it up with Roy. Despite how much time the two tended to spend together on the job, she never seemed to run out of things to talk to him. It was a little thing, but Litchi was glad for it. Roy’s return into their lives had been sudden and abrupt, but Linhua had taken it in stride, and aside for a few accidental comments, neither of them were particularly uncomfortable with one another. 

“Care some tea, Linhua? It’s chamomile.”

“Sure!”

In a moment of clarity, Litchi realized just how casual all of it felt. The three of them over breakfast, discussing the day ahead. No concerns about losing someone forever, or for the government to swoop in and cause chaos. Just a simple, mundane morning. It wasn’t ‘normal,’ per se, but she wasn’t really sure how a thing could be. She had Roy. She had Linhua. Hazama and the Control Organization and Arakune...all of it nothing more than memories now. Frightening memories, to be sure, but memories nonetheless. The world wasn’t ending. They were all safe.

And, if she were being honest, Litchi was happier than she had been in a very long time.

“Oh geez, look at the time!” Roy stood up, pushing the chair back. He gave his partner a meek smile. “Back to the daily grind, huh? We should probably get suited up. Sorry, I think it’s just gonna be another quiet one, nothing really exciting happening.”

Standing up beside him, Litchi reached out and pulled him into a tight embrace, pressing her lips against his.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
